GLOUCESTER – The night Sebastian Junger arrived in town, it was a rather mild and cloudless day. There would be need to use the phrase “The Perfect Storm” to hype the writer’s talk and signing at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books. It was The Perfect Mild.
This appears to be a rarity in today’s journalism. Anything that happens now gets blamed on “A Perfect Storm” of calamities after Junger’s book about the doomed fishermen. Wall Street meltdown, BP well disaster and McRib are all given The Perfect Storm treatment. Sadly enough, he does not get a nickel every time it’s said on TV.
This appearance didn’t include tales of the people who put seafood on your table or George Clooney’s pranks. Junger spoke of the men who fight for America in Afghanistan. The Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team were stationed in the Korangal valley for about a year. Five times Junger embedded himself with them for month long visits to get a clear idea of the tour of duty. At first Junger thought this would turn into a sleepy story about troops watching a steep land covered in old cedar trees. He was wrong. The six mile zone received a fifth of the combat action in Afghanistan. The unit engaged in more than 500 fire fights. Junger captured their experiences in the book War and the documentary film Restrepo (shot with Tim Hetherington).
Sebastian Junger has the kinda name that ought to be attached to a Euro-creep trust fund brat seen on a Bravo series. But upon his arrival in the packed bookstore, it’s easy to see he isn’t a delicate flower. He’s a stocky guy who looks like he can handle himself in a fight at Norman Mailer’s wake. After goofing around in various jobs post college, he got serious about his career in journalism while recovering from a chainsaw accident. He headed to Bosnia for the life of a war correspondent. He made a stunning discovery about his fellow scribes. “All had been dumped by girlfriends before going.” He’s unsure if the romantic break up was the reason they left to witness battle or if the women called it off because they refused to stay safe at home and write about cat shows.
Junger began reporting from Afghanistan before 9/11. He interviewed resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud prior to his assassination by suicide bombers. He smelled the evil simmering on these early trips. He recalled the time a local pointed up at the mountains and said, “Something bad is going on up there.” Little did he know that nearly a decade later, America would still be dealing with bad things in the mountains.
The project began as a series of articles in Vanity Fair about what a combat unit experiences. It eventually evolved into the book and the video shot by him and Tim Hetherington was edited into a documentary that has won awards at Sundance and Durham’s Full Frame. The movie and book aren’t about why we fight so much as an investigation of how the men on the ground fight. He wanted to stay away from the politics and deal with the reality of life in a warzone.
He did get a little political at the start of his talk. When the USA entered Afghanistan to go after Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, over 90 percent of the country was happy. “We had the hearts and minds,” Junger said. “Tragically there was no follow through.” The Bush administration quickly turned their focus on Iraq without even capturing the face of evil. Only 15,000 troops remained to secure Afghanistan. Junger offered up the fact that New York City has close to 40,000 cops. “People were alarmed at the level of support. At one point it was an easy war. Now it isn’t.” Almost a decade later, the Taliban are still waging war and controlling areas of the country. The USA now has 68,000 troops in the country and Junger lived amongst three dozen of them.
Restrepo is the name of the outpost where the men fight. It was named after a medic in the unit that died early into the assignment. The men have a morbid sense of humor. They constantly remind a soldier with the last name Anderson that he’s doomed since the first two Andersons to serve with them were killed. They ask him what he wants on his tombstone. The guys ask, “Who is going to die today?” They lighten the mood by joking about screwing each others’ mothers when they get back. Since most of the men are in their early 20s, this isn’t a Golden Girls threat. They have made sacred pacts that if they die, the others are to erase the porn from their laptops before shipping their belongings back to their mothers.
During his time with the troops, Junger had a few close calls. He talked about standing by a barricade and having dirt kick into his face. He quickly realized a sniper had targeted him. He ducked down. Afterward he measured to see it was inches between the miss and his brain. However none of the troops cared to hear about near misses. He put it in the same class as telling New Yorkers about parking tickets. No scar, no story.
The question arises as to why so many of these men re-enlist and head back to the warzone. Why do they go back after the tour of duty is over? Why do they leave their wives stateside and return to the warzone? Many armchair pundits attributed it on the adrenaline rush of battle. Are they addicted to the danger of being in a sniper’s sight?
Junger observed they re-enlist as part of the bond between these men. “They don’t miss being shot at,” Junger said. “They miss trusting people with their life.”
“Brotherhood is absolute,” he declared. “You can hate the man, but the group is more important.” It’s not merely that these guys will die for each other, but they know that they will be slaughtered if they aren’t there for each other. He defined their action under fire with: “Courage is love. Your love for others in the unit makes you courageous.” They live in fear of what will happen when they take a vacation during the tour. Will the unit get overrun when they’re one man down?
Is there a single job in America where you real trust your co-workers with your life? Eleven deep well drillers learned that BP’s Tony Hayward didn’t have their backs. Think of your own office; do you really trust everyone in your office with protecting your life? Do you trust them to not eat your lunch in the fridge? Let’s face it, there’s backstabbing for the blue vest of the greeter at a Wal-Mart. In America, it’s every man for himself. In Afghanistan, it’s the unit that survives.
I asked about the way the internet and cellphones have changed war. The afternoon before Junger arrived in town, I was chatting online with a relative that’s serving in Afghanistan. The previous day his camp had come under rocket fire. That afternoon we’re swapping IMs about the genius of William Frawley. This wasn’t the same communications issues my folks had when dad fought in Vietnam and mom’s letters took weeks to get across the Pacific and into the jungle. How does this communication evolution affect the troops?
“It makes it harder and easier,” Junger responded. “You can talk to your wife everyday, but you are talking to your wife everyday.” At this point Junger feared he’d gotten in trouble with his own wife. After a bit of grave digging, he finally explained how IMs and cellphones are nice for those serving in positions far away from the action in support roles. They need the contact back home to break up the boredom. This isn’t always true for those on the front lines. After they’ve spent the afternoon exchanging fire with the Taliban, they might not want to hear that the cat pissed on the TV Guide back in Fort Bragg. The petty things in homelife are petty to these men.
He also mentioned that modern communications can really work against a soldier on the frontline about to leave on a mission. “Waiting on a cellphone call that isn’t coming is a nightmare,” How can they focus in Afghanistan when they’re distracted by what’s going on back home that has preoccupied the wife?
Turns out that you can e-mail some of the members of the unit in War by visiting http://www.sebastianjunger.com. He said if you have any questions about what the soldiers did in the book or movie, drop them a line. They might explain it. Even if you just want to say hello, write them a note. You can also find out where the movie is playing at the website.
HOT TITLE OF SUMMER
Is it possible to watch a show without getting a guest shot from either astronaut Buzz Aldrin or Golden Girl Betty White? How about a money shot from them? Why can’t Buzz Aldrin and Betty White make a porn? This the ultimate project for the duo. Why hasn’t Vivid Video offered a million bucks to each star in order to make Buzz Blasts Betty?
A SITUATION TIME 10 MILLION?
My poorly placed sources at MTV are hinting that the premiere episode of Jersey Shore will hit 10 million. Orange gold is what a certain honcho chants as his mantra. Remember when people appeared on MTV cause they accomplished something bigger than a bar fight with a PE teacher? Snooki will be the Jon and Kate of 2010. Which are the name of her infections. MTV is going to be sponsoring fist pumping viewing parties in major beach towns with the ability for fans to be spray painted orange just like the cast. Hide in your basement if you want to avoid an outbreak of Guido-mania.
FINALE FLUSHES
This TV season marked the end of so many shows. Most of them went out like bitches. Nip/Tuck‘s final season was a major whimper. Was Ryan Murphy to concerned with Glee to let the plastic surgery drama go out in a ball of fire? American Chopper was uncomfortable as that family of motorcycle makers turned into a nightmare. Has their been a bigger jerk on TV than Paul Sr? I just remembered Donald Trump. Still, replacing your “original” sons with your new wife’s kids is beyond tacky. Although it does suggest that Jon can have a series about casting 8 new youngsters to replace his kids. The saddest ending belonged to Lost. I’m not going to spoil the ending except to say that is just really made me feel like I’ve wasted an entire season watching it. How could they have done this to us? I haven’t been this disappointed since watching the Gene Simmons sex tape.
DAY THE MUSIC DIED
How can they get rid of the Free Credit Report Trio? They’re the biggest rock stars on the planet at this moment. The could headline 21st Century Woodstock and have a crowd of 200,000 singing everyone of their jingles. But it’s over. Their corporate overloads have decided to pull the plug and bring on some new guys. This is worse than The New Monkees. There only be one Free Credit Report Trio in my heart even if I have zero clue who they really were.
DVD SHELF
Gamera Vs. Barugon – Special Edition is the second appearance of the greatest fire breathing turtle that flew. This is also the most adult oriented of the Gamera series since there’s no kid in a baseball cap named Kenny to annoy us about how Gamera loves children. Turns out the plan to launch Gamera into space inside a rocket didn’t work out right. He’s busted out of his deep space cell thanks to a meteor. He heads back to Earth with a chip on his shell. Around the same time, three guys have arrived in New Guinea looking for a rumored opal mine. The natives aren’t happy at their visit, but they don’t care. They want to get rich. They find a massive opal inside a cave and split for Japan. They’re going to be set for life when the opal hits the market. However it turns out not to be a real opal. It’s the egg of the monster Barugon. It hatches to unless a creature that can freeze things by it’s touch and project a rainbow of destruction out of his back. It decides to freeze and blow up Osaka. The action is in full color this time as the turtle takes on the Beast from the rainbow gathering. Plenty of great smashing action when they tangle barely fits in the anamorphic scope scene. This is the Japanese version so the story makes better sense than the American cut that’s 10 minutes shorter. The folks at Shout! Factory dug up the original movie program as one of the bonus features. An audio commentary with August Ragone and Jason Varney gives the proper details about the series. Amazon has the next four Gamera titles coming out on two double feature DVDs on Sept. 21. Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and WLVI’s Creature Double Feature will fear the turtle in 2010.
A Serious Man…..did my DVD skip from the middle of the films to end credits? What the hell didn’t happen at the end of this film?
My Three Sons: Season 2 Volume 2 brings us the most disturbing moment in classic sitcom history. Forget those fake fight club chats. Here is proof who would win a fight between Fred Mertz (I Love Lucy) and Mr. Drysdale (Beverly Hillbillies). During “Bub Gets a Job,” William Frawley gets a gig in clothing store. He ends up servicing a jerkish Raymond Bailey (Mr. Drysdale). Bub yanks off the guy’s toupee. It’s an amazing moment in TV history. Why isn’t this clip abused on Great TV Moments specials? The rest of the season keeps up the proof that Bub is the real father in the family. Fred MacMurray’s not that great of TV dad since he seems to need a major emergency to put down his pipe and paper to spend time with the kids. There is still music replacement on this installment, but they mix it down so it doesn’t stick out as bad.
MacGyver: The TV Movies frees up the bonus DVD from the Complete Series. Patty and Selma rejoice. These were two flicks shot a few years after McGuyver left the network schedule. MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis brings a grand adventure to the series. Brian Blessed and MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) hunt down the legendary sunken city. The cool thing is a cameo from a Pink Floyd record cover. MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday is the action rush. He shows up at a wedding and ends up saving the world from a nuclear bomb threat. These two films are much better than MacGruber.
Death Race 2000 is the ultimate edition of the ultimate drive-in movie. The futuristic vision combines the joy of NASCAR with the impending doom of Death Panels. In the future, Americans will be glued to the Death Race. Drivers zoom across America collecting points for speed and the number of people they kill. A group of rebels want to stop this government sanctioned mayhem. Can they really put the brakes on Frankenstein (David Carradine), Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone) and Calamity Jane (Mary Woronov)? Director Paul Bartel oversaw a movie that packed way so much in 80 minutes. His genius couldn’t be duplicated as witnessed by that crapola Death Race that tanked recently. The new transfer brings out the dazzling joy of the various kills. There’s tons of extras that explore how this low budget gem came about. The late David Carradine discusses how he used this film to change his image from Kung Fu. Roger Corman and Mary Woronov contribute the audio commentary. There’s a Blu-ray version that will make you duck as Stallone drives toward the camera. It’s just not summer without a screening of Death Race 2000 for the kids. This is part of Shout! Factory’s Roger Corman Collection that’s giving plenty of his New World releases definitive DVD releases.
Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume Two gives us another 19 episode of Paladin’s hire adventures. “Long Way Home” puts him on the trail of outlaw Ivan Dixon (Hogan’s Heroes). “El Paso Stage” gives Buddy Ebsen a badge and a gun. He’s the marshal. Paladin has to shoot it out with the man that would become Barnaby Jones. “The Uneasy Grave” brings another Hogan’s Heroes regular to the Wild West. Werner Klemperer gets more serious than he ever did as Col. Klink. “Soledad Crossing” makes Ken Curtis (Gunsmoke‘s Festus) part of wicked twins. Richard Boone maintains his charm as a hired gun who’d rather not waste bullets on a gig.
Dragnet 1968: Season Two brings another 29 police cases that were taken from real life. Sergeant Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) cruise around Los Angeles dishing out justice to punk kids, con men and LSD gurus. “The Gernade” has a creepy high school kid throw acid at Jan-Michael Vince (World’s Greatest Athlete). Things get worse when the loser hits a cool kid party with a live hand grenade. Friday needs to put a pin in the kid. “The Big Search” has Friday sniffing out lost sisters by checking abandoned fridges and local child molesters. “The Big Prophet” has Friday debate a Timothy Leary-esque guru that believes LSD should be given to kids. In the matter, it doesn’t matter who was right since the guru gets busted with his conviction revealed after the commercial break. “The Missing Realtor” finds time for Scatman Crothers (The Shining). Kent McCord plays a cop in several episodes. He’d eventual get a starring role in Jack Webb’s Adam-12. The transfers on the DVD look better than what’s being run on RTN. The big bonus feature is Dragnet: 1966, the TV movie that revived the franchise for color TV. While it seemed like there are hundreds of episodes, turns out there are only two more seasons to go.
The Game: The Third Season is no longer the final season. Reruns of the CW series are a hit on BET. So they’re going to revive the series about women behind football players. What really goes happens off the field and behind bedroom doors? There’s a fear that Robin Givens is gold digging a player. Is the woman who once married Mike Tyson really marrying for a cheap publicity stunt. Another woman might be pregnant although which player is the daddy? Rick Fox puts his acting skills learned at Oz to work. He gets used and abused by a gold digger. No longer is the cliffhanger in “The Wedding Episode” going to be unresolved. There’s 22 episodes spread over 3 DVDs.
Bitten Unrated is the uncensored version of the SyFy channel movies starring Jason Mewes. He’s actually playing a character with a real job. Mewes roams the city as a paramedic. He’s got a job that requires him to give drugs to people. He’s a bit of a loser with the ladies until he meets a girl (Erica Cox) that needs his medial attention. She doesn’t want to go hospital so he takes her home for intensive care. Turns out her real problem is that she’s a vampire and needs blood. Being a dutiful boyfriend, he helps her get victims. It’s interesting seeing Mewes playing a guy who has to be certified to keep his job. This was directed by Harvey Glazer (Kickin It Old School). The best film about a paramedic since Martin Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Dead. The unrated element does include a little extra flesh footage on the vampire. What really excited me was the preview for Phantom Racer starring Greg Evigan. The star of BJ and the Bear gets chased by a haunted stock car that eats people.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
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